Teledoctors.

In much of the developing world, accessing good quality health care can be very difficult, with the costs of doing so being highly prohibitive. Consequently, Mercy Mission is seeking to launch Teledoctors, a telephone based healthcare service similar to that which is offered in many western countries. The first major project launch in India is now imminent, with infrastructure, equipment and technology in place.

The model is quite simple and founded on creating a call centre of qualified physicians to take calls from sick people, using the telemedicine approach of diagnosing the problem remotely and creating a treatment pathway for them. The provision of a low cost phone number is the key to enhancing access.

Once the model is refined we wish to take the learning and the model across the developing world and reach out to those who are the most vulnerable and unable to access basic care which many of us now take for granted.